R's rue

 Enjoying the sunshine Before the cold Snaps me back To reality Tonight  Winter truly arrives  In all her  Glory and Splendor from R's rue https://ift.tt/3EKEjLK

 Too many beers , lots of film talk from Going Gently https://ift.tt/3HAjIvE

 Last thing you read? Favorite Christmas gift? New Year’s goals? from R's rue https://ift.tt/3eKcs3J

My best picture of our leucistic blackbird Several days ago I announced that I had seen a lesser spotted woodpecker in our garden. I was 99% sure of this but my friends, I was wrong. It was not a lesser spotted woodpecker after all, it was in fact a leucistic blackbird. Please accept my sincere apologies for this stupid error. Previously, I had only seen it in a tree and not on the ground. Until December 30th, I  knew nothing about leucism.  To be honest, I had never heard the word before. Leucism is a rare genetic condition that results in the loss of some pigmentation. It can affect a wide range of creatures but has been witnessed most often with regard to birds. We all know what albinism is. It is a total absence of pigment. Albino creatures are pink-eyed and usually have poor eyesight. In the wild, they tend not to last for very long. This is down to absence of natural camouflage and their poor eyesight. They are also often rejected by their own species. You might s...

 It’s just past 2 pm and already I feel I’ve done lots. My favourite sushi place Tobiko on Garrick Street is closed so I’ve ordered take out from Sishisamba in Covent Garden and am eating it outside my hotel before going to meet my friend Alex As it happened my decision to come to London was sort of governed by a vague invite to attend an old friend’s celebratory memorial which took place at noon today in a knackered old church hall in South Camden.  My friend who died back in December was an old medical colleague who got back in touch with me through Facebook three years ago.  He was quite seriously ill, back then and our correspondence through messenger, had become quite regular, at times profound, and sometimes, oh his part, regretful. I’m not saying anything more about this , except I was glad I attended. The celebrant, galvanised the small and very eclectic “ congregation” quite wonderfully and minutes after 1pm, I was walking past the British Museum  Qu...